Symposium Tackles the Challenges Raised by Climate Change

The
state climatologist, the climate change adviser for Royal Dutch Shell and a
scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will discuss
the challenges faced by a warming world at a University of Houston symposium next
week.

“Regardless of your political views, this
is something that’s going to impact everybody,” said Barry Lefer, associate
professor of atmospheric science and atmospheric chemistry at UH, who will
moderate the discussion. “I want to focus on what scientists are concerned
about, what the threats are.”

The speakers will be Richard Feeley, senior fellow at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, David
Hones, London-based chief climate change adviser in the Shell CO2 team and John
Nielsen-Gammon, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University
and the Texas state climatologist.

The discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m.,
Feb. 11, at the Hilton University of Houston Waldorf-Astoria Ballroom. RSVP at
uhenergyseries.eventbrite.com. Media can RSVP to Jeannie Kever at
jekever@uh.edu.

This will be the third of four discussions
on critical issues facing the energy industry and the nation, sponsored by UH Energy and the UH College of Natural
Sciences and Mathematics. The final talk, on the sustainability of renewable
energy, will be March 4.

Dan Wells, interim dean of the College of
Natural Sciences and Mathematics, acknowledged that climate change is a
politically volatile topic.

“But people need a better understanding of
the science that is driving our understanding of it,” he said. “The speakers
may not agree on all of the details of that science, but the audience is sure
to leave much better informed about what’s true and what is not in the ongoing
debates about climate change and the impact those debates will have on our
country’s energy policy.”

Lefer said he expects each of the speakers
to address their area of expertise. Nielsen-Gammon, for example, will talk
about the impact of climate change on Texas agriculture, including the devastating
2011 drought, which caused an estimated $10 billion in losses.

“We’re looking for a broader point of
view,” Lefer said. “Not hysteria, but a focus more on the economic impact of
future climate.”

Some of that impact undoubtedly will reverberate
through energy policy, said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, chief energy officer at UH.

“Climate change and the policies that
government enacts in response to climate change are likely to have a big impact
on energy sources and production in the future,” he said. “To ensure that the
country and the world continue to have a stable energy supply, while still
maintaining sustainable environmental practices, it is critical that both
policymakers and the general public are well-informed about the impact of climate
change and the science behind it.”

The talk, sponsored by the Houston Business
Journal and Houston Public Media, is free and open to the public.